Little White Lies
by chasingafterstarlight
Summary: Tori Vega can't keep off her sister's boyfriends. Cat Valentine likes almost-relatives. Jade West prefers teachers to students. Trina Vega's got some risky methods. But only I know everything. / Or, Victorious done Pretty Little Liars style. Beck/Jade, other various pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Little White Lies**

_Or Victorious, Pretty Little Liars style_

**Got a secret, can you keep it?  
>Swear this one you'll save.<br>Better lock it in your pocket  
>taking this one to the grave<br>**- _Secret, The Pierces_

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

As the darkness fell, Trina Vega snuggled into her sleeping bag, hoping to get warm. Beside her, Jade West shifted slightly in her sleeping bag. Tori Vega wrapped her arms around her body, and Cat Valentine hummed soothingly.

The only one who did not look satisfied with their current state was Alyssa Vaughn, the popular socialite and leader of the group. Peering at all of them, she crossed her arms and asked darkly, "So, anyone have any secrets?"

Tori's eyes widened, and Jade raised a studded eyebrow. They all looked at Alyssa with various states of disbelief. Giving a coy smile that signified that none of their secrets were safe for long, she told them, "What? Secrets keep us together."

They all breathed in as one, a sharp breath that shattered the silence. Cat bit her lip. "But you already know all of our secrets."

"There's always room for more." Alyssa smiled evilly, looking satisfied.

They all glanced nervously at one another. "Uh, I think I'll go to sleep," Trina replied carefully, and all the others followed suit.

Though she would much rather have been fast asleep, Trina still heard voices—the angry voices of both Tori Vega and Alyssa Vaughn. They fought an awful lot for two supposed friends, and Trina hated it more than anything. She turned over, pulling her pillow over her head and wishing that Jade was awake to yell at them, but Jade could sleep through a train wreck.

"You know what?" Alyssa stormed, tossing her pillow to the ground, or so Trina assumed by the hollow thud. "I'm _done_ with this. I'm leaving. I don't want to deal with people like _you_."

"Yeah, well maybe I don't want to deal with you either," Tori replied softly. "Have fun out there in the dark."

Shooting one last cross look at Tori, Alyssa stormed out. Finally, Trina was able to drift off to sleep, but even as she slept, she was plagued with nightmares that keep her tossing and turning.

Once they all awakened, Jade raised an eyebrow. "Where's Alyssa?"

Tori could barely speak. "She went—outside—"

All of them walked outside, holding their breath. They start to call into the darkness. "ALYSSA! ALY! ALYSSA!"

There was no response.

They started to walk around, tracing the ground for any sign of her—stray footprints, or something of the like. After a few minutes of that, though, their search proved to be fruitless, and they grew weary of retracing their steps over and over.

"Maybe she ditched us for the high schoolers again," Cat voiced, finishing her statement with a nervous giggle.

"Maybe she thinks we're not _good_ enough anymore," Jade growled, crossing her arms. "I'll show _her_ who's good enough—"

"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Trina flailed her arms.

The only one who voiced the question on everyone's mind was Tori, though. She frowned lightly. "Guys, if she ditches us, do you think that she'll tell anyone about the… about the Sherry thing?"

Panic settled over all of them, and they stared into the sky, feeling dirty and confused.

**.**

**Never trust a pretty girl with a dirty secret.**

**.**

**one year later**

Jade West was not happy to be back in the USA. Her younger brother, Jeremiah West, roamed the house with jaded eyes, but she wasn't quite so happy. She glared at her father, who looked so _content_, and wondered absently if it was because he had finally been able to return to the horrid woman that he'd been having an affair with. She'd lost all respect for him after that, and strangely enough, held a bigger grudge against her father than against the random lady. Her father was supposed to be responsible and an _example_, yet he was fooling around with random women while he was _married_ instead.

"Jade!" Her mom pushed the curtains open, smiling slightly. "Are you not happy to be home?"

"No," Jade replied, crossing her arms abruptly. "It's so _weird_ to be here." She left the implications of her statement hanging in the air - _I don't want to be here_. She glanced down at the floor, kicking a stray piece of dirt with the toe of her combat boot. "I still think about _her. _More than I should, probably."

"I saw the newspaper today, you know." Her mom took another glance at the paper that lay on the table before sighing. "I know it's hard. Why don't you call those friends of yours? The Vega girls and Cat? You guys were inseparable. Those feelings don't just go away."

"It's completely possible for them to," spat Jade bitterly. She glared at her mother. "I'll call them when I _want_ to."

She stomped downstairs angrily, shooting Jeremiah a glare as she pulled on her dark leather jacket. "I can't believe you can't drive yourself to the play practice."

"I'm fifteen, Jade," Jeremiah said patiently. "I can't drive alone yet."

"Please." Jade picked up the keys, twirling the keys around her finger. "I could drive myself places when I was _twelve_."

"That's illegal!" Jeremiah protested, staring at her in shock.

"Yeah, so?" Jade replied. Darkly, Jeremiah stomped off to go talk with their mother before his practice, and Jade ran straight into her father's chest. She stepped back almost instantly, pushing one of her ever-present hair streaks behind her ear. "_What?_"

"Jade." He sighed, smiling at her. "I know coming back here might bring up some memories—"

"I'm still keeping your secret," she reminded him grumpily. "I'm no snitch."

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "No, Jade, I didn't mean that. I meant Alyssa."

"Oh." Jade chewed on her lip for a moment. "Oh, yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." She pushed past him and followed Jeremiah to the car.

As she pulled into the school parking lot, she realized how very weird it was to see Hollywood Arts again. She absently wondered what this play was about, and how Jeremiah had managed a part when they weren't even at home. She guessed he was probably volunteering to help backstage. After all, he was just that kind of guy.

"Pick me up at 6," Jeremiah called as he slammed the door shut. A bunch of guys ravaged around his car, obviously trying to sneak peeks at her. Smirking, she glanced at the clock. _Four_. She had two hours of freedom.

As she sped off, her head spun with things to do. She could revisit the town, explore the school—

_Or_ get 'drunk' in a bar and make out with some random guy.

Her decision was obvious. Smirking, she revved the ignition and sped off, excited for this 'new beginning'. After all, wasn't that what she was after? After her breakup with Ean, she was psyched to be someone else. Not someone that people could walk all over. That was _not_ Jade.

She pushed the door open to the bar with the hardest force she could work up. Strutting in, she plopped down on a stool, but there was only one other good-looking person in the bar, and he was _just_ her type.

Dark-skinned, dark-haired, having the looks of a supermodel—yes, this boy was perfection in a package. She ordered a Coke at first, wondering if the guy would question her decision. Probably not. She was hot enough to catch his attention, right?

Then her eyes fell on a poster. _Alyssa Vaughn, missing 1 year, would be sixteen_. She felt the lump return to her throat and blinked rapidly. _No, this couldn't be happening, not now…_

"Everything all right?" the guy asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Just _fine_," she hissed, crossing her legs. "I've only just gotten back from _Canada_, so I suppose it's natural that I should be jet-lagged, right?"

"Canada?" The guy looked surprised. "I was born there. I'm Canadian by birth, actually." He extended a hand. "Beck Oliver."

She stared at him hesitantly before shaking his hand firmly. "Jade West. Normally, I don't trust Canadians, but—"

"I'm different, huh?" Beck's face broke into a half smile. "So, what's your major?"

"My major?" she blinked, wondering what he was on about, before attempting to smile. She was in a bar, after all, and was fairly mature-looking—it was only _natural_ that he would assume that she was a college student. "Oh, my _major_. I'm thinking about majoring in English." This was not a lie. Jade adored English more than any _normal _subject she was learning; however, her acting and singing were higher priorities than English.

"Seriously?" Beck raised an eyebrow, before smirking again. "I'll be teaching English this year. It's my first year teaching, so I hope the kids aren't all freaks like I've heard."

"Well," she said boldly, crossing her arms, "I don't consider myself a freak."

"I don't consider you a freak either." He grinned.

Five minutes later, he was kissing her, and it felt _good_. It felt like everything that she'd always wanted, but could never have. There was something heated about the way he felt against her, the way that he felt like he was _hers_ and no one else's—

Her watch beeped angrily. Cursing under her breath, she shut it off and glanced up at Beck. "Yeah, I gotta go pick my brother up from soccer. Kid can't drive yet; can you imagine?"

Beck nodded, allowing her to hop up. His eyes never left her. "I'll see you again, right?"

"Probably," she retorted slyly, giving him a coy wink. "You see, I always end up in the least expected places."

Her heart sank just a little as she walked out, though.

**.**

Trina Vega turned over the gorgeous pair of glasses in her hands, smiling slightly. She placed them on her face, and _oh my gosh_ she looked gorgeous. In fact, she reminded herself of the models that she often spotted in magazines. Twirling, she struck a pose.

Mallory emerged from the dressing room and spun. "How's the dress?"

"_Fab_-ulous!" Trina sang, admiring her friend's silk-spun dress with gilded eyes before turning back to the mirror. It felt good to be popular, she thought internally. It felt good to prance around the mall on heighted heels, being both figuratively and literally above everyone in her line of sight. She thought it was nice to _finally_ get one up on her study-holic sister, Tori.

The weight she'd lost was just an added factor. Trina twirled once more in front of the mirror, admiring the way the fabric of the new jeans clung to her figure and made her look even thinner. There was no need to mention how she'd lost it—as Mallory would say, the end always justified the means.

With a start, she glanced up and saw _Tori_. Wait, what? Since when had her younger sister had time to shop?

Hastily, she dashed up to where her sister was shopping in a more conservative type of store, the kind that Trina would never step _foot_ in otherwise. She placed a hand on her hip indignantly. "I can't believe that you actually made time to shop and didn't tell _me_!"

"Maybe I wanted to go shopping alone for once," Tori replied indignantly, crossing her arms before turning back to pull out a short pencil skirt. "Do you think this is cute?"

"No! Where's the glitter, the sparkle, the _shine_?" Trina protested before sighing. "Look, Tor, I don't see how you even get _out_ anymore, considering the number of things the rents are forcing you to do. Mayor's Award, writing contests, all of that…"

"If I beat Tia, it's all worth it." Tori sighed.

"Well, at least I'm one-upping you both in popularity," Trina sang, tugging at the edges of her sequined shirt.

Tori just frowned. Her voice dropped, as if she was whispering some big secret. "Did you see the paper today?"

"Yeah." Oddly enough, Trina felt her voice drop as well. This was what they were _made_ for—drama and lying and _acting_ as if their lives depended on it—yet Trina still felt strangely empty.

Tori bit her lip slightly. "You know, it's like she's gone… but she's _everywhere_."

"It's been a year, Tor," Trina said, remorse choking her voice. "Let it go already."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Trina coughed. "So, uh, let's find you something a little flashier. Can't have my baby sister being seen in _that_, now can we?"

A small smile passed over Tori's face. "Guess not."

"This is better," Trina advised, pulling out a slightly revealing but still modest purple chiffon dress. "Besides, purple's your color. Best play up that angle while you can."

"Thanks, sis," Tori replied playfully. "Don't you have a _bee-f-f_ to catch up with?" She smirked down to where Mallory was wandering around stupidly, as if she was lost without Trina there to care for her. Trina rolled her eyes.

"Catch you later!" Trina called, dashing down the stairs. She almost fell once or twice, but well, nothing too abnormal. She adjusted the jeans that she'd _conveniently_ forgotten to remove. After all, what was a little theft here and there? No big deal, right?

It was then that someone stopped her. Fear shot through her like a tidal wave, and she made a little yelp. "I swear, I—"

The guy gave her a strange look. "Miss, you forgot your bag."

She regained her composure and mentally scolded herself—_Trina, you could've just turned yourself in_! She took it and spun on her heel, nearly tripping. "Thank you."

Mallory ran up to her, mouth wide open. She glanced around quickly before flailing a bit. "I thought you were _busted_!"

"I never get busted!" Trina laughed, leading the way out of the stores. Mallory had no choice but to follow.

.

Jade's father pulled up in front of the school. He glanced over at her, his eyes filling with some sort of unrecognizable emotion. Sighing under his breath, he told her, "You know, Jade, as much as I might not act like it, I do love you and your mother. You know I don't approve of this school, but… I just want you to forgive me."

Her eyes narrowed, and she bit her lip. "You wish. I only give forgiveness to those who deserve it."

She slammed the door behind her and stared in front of her, memories filling her mind.

_Jade and Alyssa stumbled down the street, laughing merrily like the immature sophomores that they were. Alyssa sipped at her Starbucks coffee and checked the time on her watch. "We should be getting home soon, yeah?"_

"_Yeah, my dad said he'd be at home." Jade rolled her eyes, not amused. "He's never at home, so I don't know if he's lying or—"_

_Frowning, Alyssa interrupted her. "Isn't that your dad… right there?"_

_She glanced in front of her, expecting to see her father just simply driving a car or something innocent like that. However, he wasn't alone—not in the least. In fact, he was attached to an unfamiliar woman at the lips._

_She stood, frozen. Jade West was never speechless, but she was now._

_Her father pulled away. "I'm sorry, Lilith," he whispered to the woman._

Lilith. _The name rang clear in her mind, and she quickly associated it with what she knew. The woman was much younger than him - in fact, she was a student of her father's. And now they were… doing this_.

_Alyssa was quick to state the obvious. "Jade, that isn't your mom."_

"_I know," she replied, recoiling in shock. "I know."_

_Then, biting her lip, she turned and ran off. She could hear Alyssa's smug voice calling after her—"Jade! Jade! Get _back_ here!_"—_but she was too embarrassed, too humiliated, too shocked and confused to return._

_She just kept running, the echo of her footsteps no comfort._

Sighing, she hitched her backpack over her shoulder and continued to walk toward the school. Before she got there, though, a pair of arms enveloped her.

"Jade!" someone squealed, jumping up and down beside her. "You're back from _Canada_?"

"Never touch me," she said coldly, peeling the pair of arms off of her before stepping back. "Oh. Cat, hey, it's you. Yeah, I'm back from Canada." She managed a half smile, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

Cat didn't seem offended in the least. "I'm so glad you're back! You see, everyone's been really worried about…" She trailed off, bringing a piece of hair under her nose.

"About _Alyssa_?" Jade snarled, causing Cat to gasp. Sighing, Jade told her, "Cat, it's not a curse word. We all know that Alyssa's gone. Saying her name isn't going to curse any one of us."

"I know," Cat replied in a small, wavering voice, "but it still hurts. Right here." She placed her hand over her heart, looking like a small child saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Irritated, Jade rolled her eyes and seized her 'friend's' wrist.

"We've got a class to get to," Jade snarled, dragging Cat into the building. "Do you have English first period?"

"I do!" Cat replied brightly, her face lighting up. "Do you, too?"

"Yes," Jade replied sharply. The two of them walked as fast as they could to the class, and took their seats near the back. Cat looked so excited that she was about to bust out of her chair, and the other students gave her weird looks. Rolling her eyes, Jade took out her notebook and pencils, arranging them at the tip of her desk.

The door handle jiggled, causing everyone to look up. As the teacher walked in, Jade felt her breath knocked out of her lungs.

She felt like screaming, but she couldn't breathe. All she could do was stare at the teacher with rapt attention, not knowing what to do.

The person who stood in front of her, dark brown eyes fixated on her, was the same guy she'd kissed in the bar. The teacher of her English class this year was Beck Oliver.

He stood in front of her, dropping his books onto the table before he said the two words on her mind: "_Holy chiz_."

Shaking his head as if to clear it, Beck spoke. "Hello, students, I'll be your English teacher this year. My name is Mr. Oliver…"

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Glancing up quickly to ensure that Beck (Mr. Oliver?) didn't see, she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

_Jade: Maybe he fools around with his students all the time. Just ask your dad. –A_

Eyes wide, her phone clattered to the ground. Beck didn't even bother to take it from her.

.

"Cat." Cat Valentine's mother sighed, resting a hand on her daughter's. "How are you dealing?"

"Dealing," Cat giggled, sitting by the window and tracing patterns into with the tip of her finger. "That's a funny word." At her mom's impatient sigh, she frowned a tiny bit. "I'm dealing just fine!" She forced a smile onto her face.

"Oh, all right," her mom gave her a wary stare before sitting down beside her daughter. "So, have you talked to any of your old friends?"

"I don't see much of Tori and Trina anymore," Cat replied sadly, biting her lip. "Ever since Alyssa disappeared, they found new friends. But I saw Jade today!" She instantly brightened as she began to recount her newest piece of information. "Jade's back from Canada!"

"That's good, honey," her mom said kindly. "Maybe the four of you can have a sleepover like you used to."

It was then that Cat noticed a small shift in her peripheral vision. She peered out the window, and her eyes fell upon someone unloading boxes at Alyssa's old house. Quickly, she seized her mother's arm. "Mom, someone's moving into Alyssa's old house!"

"Well, they'll be our new neighbors," her mom told her. "Why don't you go greet them? I made a cake; you can take it over to them…"

"I think I will!" Cat said brightly. Slipping her shoes back onto her feet, she bounced down the stairs, grabbed the cake, and ran out the door.

Someone stood at the edge of the road, sifting through a box. The boy glanced up at Cat with wary eyes. "You want any of this stuff? Mom and I have no use for it; it's a bunch of trash. It must have belonged to whoever used to own this house."

"Yeah, my friend owned this house," Cat replied shyly, smiling at him. "Need any help with the boxes?"

"You implying that I'm not strong enough to carry the boxes myself?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat responded, hurt. She held out the cake. "Mom sent me over to bring this to you all."

"Nothing. The boxes are already inside," he replied hastily, taking the cake from her. As he began to walk off, she stood there awkwardly, hands crossed in front of her and a huge smile on her face. After a moment, he just sighed. "Fine, come on in. I'm Daniel, by the way. Daniel Martin."

"I'm Cat," Cat chirped, not bothering to use her last name. She skipped into the house, following Daniel closely until they made it through the doors. A lady stood there, brushing dust off the counter. She spun to face Cat.

"A new friend already, Daniel?" the lady chirped. "I'm Allison Valentine, Daniel's mother."

"Valentine? That's my last name too," Cat giggled, smiling kindly at the woman. "I'm Cat, Caterina Valentine!"

"No." The lady's mouth dropped, and she took a step back in response. Her eyes traced Cat's face, as if searching for something. "No, you can't be. You wouldn't be _here_…"

"I live here, right next door," Cat replied, laughing again. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You wouldn't be Harry Valentine's daughter…" the lady inquired carefully, "would you?"

"Yeah, he was my daddy by birth." Cat worked carefully to keep the sadness out of her voice. "Why?"

"He is… he _was_ my husband," Allison Valentine responded, staring at Cat for a moment. "Caterina, I'm your stepmother."

The reality of the situation hit Cat with a slap, and she laughed nervously in response. This couldn't be happening. Of course, she knew that her father had remarried a lady with a son about her age, but she hadn't thought they would _meet_, and surely not so soon after her father's death. Yet there they were in the flesh—Daniel Martin and Allison Valentine, staring at her with the darkest eyes she'd ever seen.

"You know, on second thought, let's go upstairs, Cat." Daniel seized her arm with the strongest of grips. "I have something up there that'll take your mind off all of this."

Numbly, Cat nodded and followed him up the stairs. He handed her something unfamiliar, and she stared at it for a moment with wide eyes.

He grinned. "Guessing you haven't ever smoked it before?"

"No." She bit down on her lip, eyes wide and watery.

"So I guess that I'm corrupting you?" Daniel wondered, giving a small laugh. "Daniel Martin, the big corruptor. Corrupting innocent Cats since whatever year it is."

Glaring at her stepbrother, she threw caution to the wind and picked it up.

.

"I'm done!" Tori sang, giving a small twirl. At last, the apartment was ready, and Tori could finally have the peace and quiet she'd been craving. Living with Trina got tiring, and it was a relief that Tia was finally out on her own.

That was, until she walked into the kitchen and came face to face with Tia Vega in the flesh.

"Thanks for redoing the apartment." Tia gave her a grateful yet conniving smile. "Ryan and I really appreciate it."

Her eyes grew wide. She bit her lip to hold back the tears that were threatening to flood down her face. That was all Tia said, but it was all Tia needed to say.

"You know," Tori said angrily, "sometimes I really hate you. You knew I was redoing that apartment for _me_."

"Stop being so selfish, Tori," Tia responded, glancing down at her fingernails. "Ryan and I are engaged now. We need some… private space."

Their parents nodded enthusiastically, and Tori could no longer hold back. Tears trailing down her face, she dashed back to her room, which she supposed would now be her only private space, and she cried.

.

Jade opened the door to the English room slowly. It creaked, as if to signify the inherent creepiness of the room. Sliding in, she shut the door behind her. Her eyes immediately traveled to Beck's face.

"Beck," she began happily. "I thought you'd be in here. Listen, we need to talk—"

"Yeah, we do." Beck shoved his hands into his pockets. "Jade, you didn't tell me you were a student in high school."

His tone provoked the harsher side of her. "I didn't think it was _necessary_. I'm a private person; it's a part of being an actor."

"You could've told me that before _I kissed you_," Beck responded, his eyes darkening in the dimly lit room.

"As I said before, it wasn't necessary," Jade hissed. "Look, I was coming in here to talk about _us_, but if all you're going to do is accuse me—"

"There is no us," Beck replied after a stony moment of silence. "There _is_ no us, Jade. There's only you and there's only me. We are not connected. You are a student and I am a teacher; therefore, anything we do _like what we did before_ would be completely wrong." He picked up his bag before sighing again. "Jade, I'm your teacher. I'm sorry."

"You know what," Jade said icily. "I'm sorry too. Sorry that I ever _talked_ to you."

With that, she stormed away.

.

The bell rang, and Cat dashed out of class. Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Look," Daniel said softly. "I'm sorry to bother you, really, but I'm unsure of how to get to my house from here and—"

"No, I'll walk you home," Cat exclaimed happily. "It's fine!"

The two of them began to walk, and Cat could sense his presence near her. It sent a buzzing through her body that was nearly unexplainable. She cast him a stray smile, and after a moment, he returned it.

"You're a junior, right?" Daniel wondered, catching her by surprise.

She nodded, smiling again. "And you're a senior?"

"One might say so." He laughed. "My mom likes to tell me my maturity level is that of a five-year-old."

"You seem plenty mature to me!" she yelped, causing him to laugh again.

The wind blew then, causing a flyer to land right in front of them. Hesitantly, Daniel picked it up and looked it over for a moment before showing it to her. "Do you know this girl?"

Immediately, Cat clammed up. The face on the flyer was not a random girl like one she'd see on a milk carton, nor was it a pretty girl advertising a summer sale. No, it was the face of Alyssa Vaughn—her ex-best friend, the girl who'd disappeared not too long ago.

"Yeah," Cat told him softly. "Yeah, she was a really good friend of mine…"

"I'm sorry for asking," Daniel said bluntly, "but what happened to her?"

And just like that, all the details spilled out. She found herself admitting things to Daniel that she wouldn't have even told her own parents. Maybe it was just because they were technically related, though not by blood, or because Daniel had a naturally reassuring personality. Either way, she spilled everything to him.

He stared at her for a moment, as if he was trying to gauge whether she was being honest or not. Then, after a moment of consideration, he leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," she said uncomfortably, and her discomfort grew all the more as he continued to lean in. Just before his lips were about to meet hers, she jerked away.

Though technically they weren't related, it seemed a bit strange for her to kiss her stepbrother. She took another step back. "I'm sorry, I can't—"

Thoughts of the alleged André and Sherry relationship and the controversy that had provoked spun in her head, and she shook her head quickly. "I'll see you later, then!" she told him in a perky voice before running off.

Inside of her pocket, her phone buzzed. She jerked it out quickly.

**Hey, Rina. See you've found another almost-relative to kiss? Pity, Jase'll be disappointed. –A**

She dropped her phone.

.

The door creaked open, causing Tori to jump. Relief filled her, though, as her sister's boyfriend Ryan walked into the room.

"Hey, Tori," he said, flashing her a crooked smile. "What are you making, there?"

"A smoothie," Tori giggled, her eyes immediately falling to his bare stomach. He had some pretty nice abs, Tori had to admit. "Want me to get you a towel?"

"That'd be nice," Ryan responded, shaking out his wet hair.

She dashed over to the cabinet and took one out before slowly draping it around his shoulders. As she did, she took a moment to appreciate how very tan and muscular he was. Her hands made their way to his shoulders automatically, and she rubbed them slowly.

"That…. That actually feels really good," Ryan admitted. "Keep going?"

She smirked slightly, continuing to massage them. At least she was better than _Tia_ at this.

It was then that Tia walked in, though. _Speak_ _of the devil_, Tori thought bitterly, jerking away from Ryan.

She dashed up to her room, feeling slightly ashamed, and watched them walk off to _her_ apartment together. Bitterly, she kicked the wall, and her phone buzzed.

**Poor Tori, always wanting her sister's boyfriends. But remember, if you kiss, I tell.** –**A**

Her eyes widened.

_One and a half years ago, Tori pulled up at her house to find Dale Squires there playing basketball. She took the basketball from him, grinning. "Thanks for the ball."_

"_I didn't offer it to you, young lady," Dale retorted, snatching it back._

"_Well, I've decided I want it!" Tori giggled, pulling back._

_He continued to pull despite her protests, and she found herself being tugged with the ball. For a moment, he stared at her, brushing back a piece of her hair._

_Then, he leaned in and kissed her. The worst part was that she let him._

_That was, until Alyssa Vaughn cleared her throat. Tori hadn't noticed her walk up, but she was definitely there. She gave a small smile._

_Tori's smile hardened into a frown. Jerking away from Dale, she hissed at Alyssa, "If you tell anyone about this, I tell _everyone_ about the Sherry thing."_

.

"Jade," Cat called upon seeing her friend's car pull up in the driveway. "Jade, I got a really weird message today!"

"You too?" Jade asked, dashing up to the porch. "From—"

"A!" A worried Cat cut her off. "You don't think—

"Who else could it be?" Jade glanced back down at her phone, as if expecting it to go off. "What A said, only Alyssa knew."

"Me too," Cat bounced up and down. "Maybe she's still alive."

"Maybe she's _here_ watching us," Jade glanced around. "Alyssa, I swear, I'll knock in your _face_ if this is you messing with us."

Only silence greeted them.

.

Beside her, Trina's phone rang urgently, interrupting Tia's incessant chatter about how _amazing_ Ryan was. Trina's mom glared at her, and Tori raised an eyebrow. Biting her lip, Trina picked up the phone and glanced over the screen quickly.

**WE NEED TO TALK! **Tori had sent. Tori cocked her head to signal it was urgent, and Trina shook her head. "Later," she mouthed.

But their _lovely family dinner_ was then interrupted by a ring of the doorbell.

"Who could that be?" Tia murmured as their mom hopped up to grab the door. On the other side stood Trina's worst nightmare.

"Ma'am, we need to see your daughter," the cop said. "We have proof that she's been stealing things from the Hollywood Mall."

Trina's mouth dropped open, but she had a feeling that there was no way to protest. Her mother stared at her, looking hurt and confused, but Trina just bowed her head.

At the police station, her mother whispered in her ear, "Deny, deny, deny. I've got this covered."

She frowned, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, but nodded. Somewhere inside, she had a feeling that her mom knew that she was guilty. She just didn't want her daughter to ruin the crystal-clear Vega family reputation.

One tear making its way down her face, she reached over to take a piece of the candy in the bowl beside her when her phone buzzed. Scowling, she decided to shut it, as she really didn't want to hear from anyone, but curiosity took over and she opened it.

**Be careful, Trina**, the message read. **I hear prison food makes you fat.**

She dropped the candy back into the bowl, her breath coming faster.

.

Frowning, Cat ran out the door. The neighborhood was abuzz with noise. Just then, she could hear the sound of cop cars, a couple of yells mingling together, and the constant noise of people walking. She had no idea what was going on, though, and saw only one way to find out.

Daniel stood outside his door, staring at the house as if it was an alien sent down to kill him. He glanced over at her sorrowfully. "Cat, I'm so sorry."

"About what?" she asked, though somewhere inside she already knew. _No, no, it couldn't be_—

"They found your friend's body," Daniel told her slowly. "Your friend Alyssa is dead."

She felt her knees buckling under her weight, and all the memories of Alyssa came rushing back. She felt herself choking on her own spit—_no, no, it couldn't be_…

Two people caught her by the elbows, and she recognized Jade and Trina's firm grips. Tori stood in front of her now, crossing her arms. Catching her breath, Cat managed to get back on her feet and stare at the ambulance as they brought out a body, covered in white cloth. She couldn't believe it, somehow—the body under the cloth seemed to impersonal to have been one of her best friends. But the ominous atmosphere told her otherwise. There was no one else that it could have been.

"Look," Jade said harshly, snapping everyone out of their reverie. "Look, we still have a deal, right? We don't tell _anyone_ about the Sherry thing. If they find out, we could be in big trouble…"

"Deal," they all confirmed as one, staring back at the house as the sirens indicated that the police were leaving.

"I can't believe it," Trina muttered softly.

Cat couldn't believe it, either.

.

It was raining outside, but Jade West could care less. She sat on the bench, arms wrapped around her as if to preserve the heat that still remained inside of her. Shivering a bit, she pulled her legs closer.

Someone's jacket fell haphazardly around her shoulders, and she glanced up to see the one and only Beck Oliver. A scowl made its way onto her face. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I wanted to apologize," Beck said coolly, staring at her. "I shouldn't have been so rude about it. You were right."

"I was _what_?" Jade blinked rapidly, water still dripping onto her. She stood up, pulling the coat tightly around her body. "_What?_"

"I was a jerk, and you were right." He sighed, running a hand through his (admittedly gorgeous) hair. "There is an us. I _want_ there to be an us."

She stared at him for a moment. "If you're going to get in trouble or lose your job, I don't think there's a point." As if to emphasize her point, she turned away and began to walk off.

It was then that he stopped her by grabbing her arm, turning her around, and pressing his lips to hers.

The heat that coursed through her was indescribable, and she found herself agreeing with him at once. She _definitely_ wanted to be with him.

.

"We have the front row," Tori whispered, grabbing Jade's arm. Scowling, Jade shook her off and sat down beside Cat. Tori made a point to sit on her other side.

"Look," Jade whispered, voice full of venom, "have you gotten a weird message from…A?"

"You have too?" Tori responded in shock.

"Cat and I both have," Jade hissed, and Cat nodded in agreement.

Trina's jaw dropped. "That means that all four of us have…"

They all exchanged terrified glances, and the realization set in.

At that moment, the door creaked open again. They turned to see a girl with sunglasses being escorted by a mysterious guy with dreads.

"Sherry?" Tori whispered in shock.

"Why are _Sherry and André_ here?" Jade hissed angrily, making a move to stand up. Quickly, Tori and Cat stopped her.

Behind them, Mrs. Vaughn cleared her throat. "I didn't know that those two were friends of my daughter."

"That's because they _weren't_," Tori responded, eyes wide.

.

After the funeral, someone's hand fell onto Tori's shoulder. She jerked around, as did the other girls. A man stood there, clothed in dark attire.

"I'm Gary Johnson, police officer," he flashed his badge, as if to prove his point. "I will need to see you girls again."

"Why?" Trina asked rudely.

"Ms. Vega, if you will," the man spoke slowly, "this is no longer a missing persons investigation; this is a murder. And you four are hiding something." He scowled. "I will get to the bottom of it if it is the last thing that I do."

Everyone inhaled at once as the man walked off. In unison, their phones buzzed, and all of them had the same message.

**I'm still here, ganks, and I know **_**everything**_**. –A**

.

**A/N: so I have NO idea why I'm starting a multichapter before NaNo but HERE IT IS. Victorious, PLL style. I don't own PLL and I don't own Victorious; I just wanted to try it out. It will be multichaptered but updates will be sporadic.**

**IT'S ALSO FIC NUMBER 200, BABY.**

**So well, read and review? To be honest, this is really hard to write, and it takes a LOT of effort. Future chapters won't stick so close to the PLL plot—I'll definitely be breaking away more with each chapter. But please do read and review, they encourage me to update.**

**Also, don't favorite or alert without reviewing.**

**Thanks for reading?**


	2. Chapter 2: A

**Little White Lies**

_Or Victorious, Pretty Little Liars style_

**Got a secret, can you keep it?  
>Swear this one you'll save.<br>Better lock it in your pocket  
>taking this one to the grave<strong>

_- Secret, The Pierces_

**Chapter 2: 'A'**

"Look, Tori," Jade hissed, glancing around to make sure no one was listening before continuing. "You gonna tell us why you called us all to Nozu or not? I mean, has it got something to do with… with this whole _A_ thing?" She glanced down, biting her lip.

"The reason why I called all of us here has everything to do with _A_," Tori replied, biting down on the corner of her lip. "See, _A_ has been sending us all texts, right? And for me, at least, the texts have to do with things I've never told anyone. Anyone but…"

"Alyssa," they all breathed in unison, and then glanced at each other in evident concern.

"Alyssa is dead," Trina said sharply. "They found her body. There is _no way in heck_ she could possibly be texting us right now, do you hear me?"

"You're right," Cat piped up, her hands twisting together in her lap, a clear sign that she was just as nervous as the rest. "But don't you think it seems a bit suspicious? I mean, Alyssa starts with _A…_"

"Yeah, and so does Abraham Lincoln, but I highly doubt he's the one sending us messages," Jade snapped. "It can't be her. She is dead, okay? Someone else is watching, someone very observant, and that someone knows _everything_. So I suggest you all start taking extra measures to protect yourselves."

"But guys…" Cat whispered, trailing off. Her eyes were large, wide with fear. "What if she tells about… about the _Sherry thing_?"

They all sat for a moment, frozen in fear, until at last Tori spoke up. "That's impossible, Cat," she said in a sharp tone, nearly as piercing as Jade's. "The only other person who knew the truth about that is dead and gone, buried ten feet under the ground. That secret is _never_ being unearthed, okay? It's not happening."

"They know everything else about us," Trina muttered bitterly, pulling a flask out of her bag and pouring some carefully into her drink. "Who's to say they don't know about that?"

"I agree with other Vega. Only Alyssa knew about that. No way is it getting out," Jade retorted. "And put that away, idiot."

"That's not very good for you," Cat chided.

"Heck if I care," Trina muttered, taking a long sip of the drink. "I need something to relax me."

"You're being stupid." Tori scowled and elbowed her sister in the ribs. "Anyway, that's not what's important right now. What's important is that I have something to tell you guys. Something that Alyssa told me way back when."

"What?" Jade's eyes widened and she exchanged glances with Cat and Trina, both of whom seemed as surprised as she certainly was. "Do tell."

Tori glanced down. "She confided in me that she was dating someone during… you know, _that _summer. An older boy, though. Someone with… with a girlfriend."

"You're _kidding_ me," Trina said, her eyes wide. "Alyssa had a boyfriend and she didn't tell that? I mean, scratch that – an _illicit_ boyfriend at that. This is _big_!"

"That's not very nice of her." Cat's voice was low, trembling. "I just don't think it's right, if he was older than her and had a girlfriend already… _I _wouldn't do that."

"Since when did Aly ever care about what was right?" Jade snapped. "You know, _I _don't think that – "

The dark-headed girl was interrupted by the sound of a cane hitting the ground. All of their heads spun around at once to see Sherry entering the café, this time without her usual escort Andre. With wide eyes, they stood up at once, pushing in their chairs, and then tried to exit the restaurant. Even as they did so, they all swore that they could feel her eyes following them, watching them like they were some delicious piece of meat.

Cat gulped loudly. "Well, I guess we're going to have to find another restaurant…"

.

"Mom," Trina whined. "I'm going to be late. Tori has already left! Just give me my lunch, please!"

"Your bag's over there by your bookbag, honey," Mrs. Vega replied, cupping the phone to her ear. Suddenly something flashed up on the news, catching both Vegas' attention. Gary Johnson, who they both immediately recognized, was holding up a newspaper with the headline _Alyssa Vaughn's Body Found, Killer Still At Large._

"Alyssa Vaughn, resident of Los Angeles, was found last week after having been missing for a year," said Hunter Johnson. "The police currently have – "

Mrs. Vega quickly turned off the television, and then turned back to her middle daughter, concern clear in her eyes. "Are you sure you're up to going to school today?"

"Yeah mom, I can handle myself," Trina replied bravely.

"Don't let those news reports get to you," Mrs. Vega reminded her daughter. "Half the time they have no clue what they're talking about anyway. I would know."

"Right," Trina answered with a nod. "Oh, and I'm sorry about the cop coming yesterday."

"It's fine, Trina. I know you've been going through a lot," Mrs. Vega answered, patting Trina on the head. "But you've got to understand that we have a reputation to uphold. I expect you to behave better in the times to come."

"Of course," Trina told her with a small smile. "See you later, Mom."

.

"Morning, Jade," Mrs. West greeted her daughter.

"Yeah, good morning," Jade said sarcastically, grabbing a bagel and some butter and plopping down at the table across from her mother.

"You know," Mrs. West continued, ignoring her daughter's perpetual bad mood, "I was surprised to see Trina Vega at the funeral. Or rather, I was surprised at how she looked. She's gotten so thin these days. Not that she doesn't look good, but… I'm not entirely convinced that's healthy. She looks so very different."

"Mom, I don't…" Jade began, but her father quickly ran into the kitchen then, interrupting her.

"Elizabeth, I just wanted to let you know that I'm working late today," John West informed his wife.

"Already?" Elizabeth West asked with a frown. "John, it's your first week back." As if to back up her mother, Jade raised an eyebrow and stared at her father.

"I know, but I've only just gotten back and they have a ton of work for me to do," John replied, obviously still maintaining his position despite his daughter's lack of faith in him.

"Of course they do," Jade said sarcastically. "It can't be healthy for you to work this much. I think you should take some time off, spend more time with your _family_, hmm?" She stared coldly at her father, suggesting in no uncertain terms that she thought she knew what was up. "Anyway, I've got to go or I'll be late for school. Think about what I'm saying."

After their daughter left, Elizabeth turned to John. "What was that about?"

"Probably just teenage girl weirdness." John shrugged. "You know how Jade is."

Elizabeth pursed her lips in doubt, but turned back to her cereal anyway.

.

"Cat," Daniel called, running up to sit beside her on the porch. "Cat, I've been looking for you."

"Oh. Hi Danny." Cat giggled, smiling at her neighbor.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he sat down beside her, and then smiled over at her. "I'm sorry I didn't come to the funeral to, y'know, support you or whatever. I just… I thought it'd be kinda awkward, since I never knew her, and I'm like, living in her house. Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay," Cat replied, nudging him lightly. "I get it. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I guess it's sorta hard," Daniel continued with a sigh. "You know, since the girl who lived in my house is dead and all her stuff is turning up everywhere. I… I'm sorry you have to go through this, though."

"Thanks, Danny," Cat chirped, throwing out her arms. "Hug?"

He accepted, leaning over and wrapping his strong arms around her small frame. Of course, Cat's mom took that opportunity to walk out and find the two hugging. She raised an eyebrow, and then said in a cool tone, "You must be the boy I've heard so much about. Daniel, right?"

"Oh!" Daniel jumped up, his face turning slightly red. "Oh, yes. You must be Cat's mother. Yeah, I'm Daniel. I live just next door."

"Oh, right, in Alyssa's old house?" Cat's mother questioned with a slight smile.

"Um, yeah," he said with a nervous laugh. "It's kinda weird, y'know? Since she's gone and all."

"I understand that," Cat's mom said in a sympathetic tone. "Hey, we've got an extra room over here if you ever need some place to get away. Though you're to stay far away from my little Caterina." She added a little laugh at the end, as if to show she was joking.

"That's really nice of you…" He trailed off, probably realizing that he had no idea what to call her.

"Oh, call me Lena," Cat's mom jumped in. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Daniel."

"Same to you," Daniel answered. "Thanks for everything."

Cat squealed, grabbing Daniel's hand. "Come on, Danny! I'll show you around."

.

"Tori!" A loud voice interrupted Tori's concentration. With a groan, Tori turned off her radio to see who was coming to greet her. Cat Valentine suddenly entered her peripheral vision, followed by a dark-haired guy who looked slightly reluctant to be there. "Hey, Tori!"

"Cat," she greeted her friend. "Good to see you. I'm, um, I'm practicing my dance, since I'm vying for the position of top of the class this year, so…"

"Oh, that's so cool!" Cat cheered. "Tori, this is my friend Daniel, but I call him Danny. He just moved in next door, you know." There was a bright smile stretched across her face as she spoke of him.

"Hey," Daniel said, offering Tori a smile. "Yup, new boy moves into dead girl's home..." His tone was slightly sardonic, and all of this put together bothered Tori more than she would like to admit. "I can't believe I just said that."

"Excuse me," Tori replied gruffly, glaring at him, "but Alyssa was one of my best friends. She's not just some random 'dead girl'." She then turned back to Cat. "Cat, I'm really sorry to cut this meeting short, but could you keep it moving please? I've got to get this routine perfect for class tomorrow."

"Oh. Sure," Cat said, grabbing Daniel's hand. "Come on, Daniel, I'll show you some more cool places! Like the coffee shop that my BFF Jade always goes to, that's really cool."

"Wait." Daniel hesitated. "I'm sorry about that, Tori. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sure Alyssa was really great. It's just a little awkward living in her house. I think Brad Pitt and I are missing the same sensitivity chip." He offered her a smile. "You should come with me and Cat to get some coffee. It'd be fun."

Hesitantly, Tori smiled back. "It's cool; I'm sure you didn't mean it. And as fun as that sounds, I really do have to get this routine perfect. Maybe some other time?"

Cat gave a small yelp of appreciation and Daniel nodded. Bidding their farewells, the two of them walked off, leaving Tori alone to practice her dance.

Somehow it didn't seem quite as energetic now.

.

"Hang on a second there!" Breathlessly, Jade caught up to Beck, then decided to rectify herself from suspicion by saying, "Hey, Mr. Oliver. I need to talk to you about something."

He raised an eyebrow, probably at being called 'Mr' by Jade, but smiled anyway. "Sure. What's up, Jade?"

"I'd like to transfer out of your class," Jade informed him, her hands on her hips, looking confident as always but feeling more than slightly insecure on the inside. "So approve my transfer."

Obviously confused, Beck looked from the white slip up to Jade's unwavering face. "Can we talk about this in private?"

"Sure, let's go," Jade said unenthusiastically, following him into his classroom.

Once the two of them were in there and he'd ensured he had shut and locked the door, he stared at her. "Jade, what's going on?"

"I told you, I want to transfer out of your class," Jade informed him, sliding up to sit on his desk. "I can't pretend like I know you as Mr. Oliver when I know you as Beck and I know you like this." Getting back onto her feet, she gave him a small, short kiss then pulled away.

Shaking his head to clear it, Beck told her, "Jade, you don't have to…"

"That's the point, Beck. I do have to," she muttered quietly. "I can't do this, okay? I just need you to sign this form for me, and I'll be allowed to transfer out of your class." With a small smile, she pushed the form towards him.

Running a hand through his hair, Beck grabbed a pen and scribbled his name on the form. "There. You happy?"

"Very," Jade replied, leaning up to press one last kiss to his lips before leaving his room.

.

"Trina!" Mallory sang, walking up to stand beside her best friend. "How's my BFF today?"

"Just fabulous, as always," Trina said with a chuckle, flipping her hair before turning back to her mirror. "And you, my darling?"

"I'm terrific," Mallory replied, raising an eyebrow. "Where's that BF of yours, hm? Ditching him already? That gives 'keeping it fresh' a whole new meaning."

"Yeah, yeah, hilarious," Trina said with a frown. "Anyway, I see him now, so I gotta go. Stay gorgeous!" Trina called, before walking over to stand beside her current boyfriend, the extremely handsome Seth. She batted her eyelashes at him. "Hey baby."

Down the hall, Evan Smith was talking to his girlfriend, Cat Valentine. "Give me a kiss," he said, puckering up his lips.

"Ew, no thanks," Cat said with a giggle, pushing him away and trying to tear her gaze away from Daniel, who was down the hall at his locker.

"Come on, babe, just a little kiss?" Evan pleaded with a frown.

"I'm not really in the mood," Cat lied. "Anyway, um, my stepbrother Danny's staying at my house because of all the drama with Alyssa, you know? Just thought I would let you know." She smiled cheerily at him, hoping he wouldn't mind.

"Oh, if he's your stepbrother, that's cool," Evan said, draping an arm around Cat's shoulder. "I didn't know you had a stepbrother."

"Me neither," Cat muttered under her breath as she smiled at Evan.

Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. "Cat Valentine, Jade West, Tori Vega, and Trina Vega to the principal's office, please."

.

They all arrived at once, and all of them were freaking out. Trina quickly asked, "You don't think this is about the _A _Thing, do you? Or about any of the secrets…" Her eyes were wide with fear.

"It can't be," Tori whispered. "No one _knows_ about that, Trina, okay?"

"We don't know that for sure," Jade said sharply, pulling out her phone.

"Who do you think would know about it then, Jade?" Tori said mockingly. "_A_?"

Of course, their phones picked that time to go off in unison. All four girls glanced down at their phones and read what was displayed on their screens: "Dead Girls Walking. –A"

The girls gulped as they slipped into the office, and their fear only increased when they found Gary sitting in there, his eyes narrowed as he stared at them. "Hello, girls," he said in a deep voice. "I have some questions to ask you about your friend Alyssa."

.

The interrogation went badly, of course. Gary insisted that their answers sounded too mechanic and 'rehearsed', and that they were obviously hiding something. Of course, they were, but they weren't about to admit it to the intimidating police officer who seemed determined to prove that the girls were guilty of something. Did he honestly think that they would murder their best friend?

This Trina wondered at lunch, and all of the other girls shrugged despairingly. "Apparently," Tori said, hanging her head. "But we are lying to him, you realize."

"Yeah, but it's not like our lie is connected to Aly's murder, right?" Jade insisted, propping her head up with her hand. "It was totally unrelated and it probably wouldn't help them solve the murder case, so we've got nothing to worry about."

"It proves that Aly had enemies," Cat whimpered under her breath. "People who wanted to hurt her. And we're keeping that from the cops." With a frown, Cat let out a low cry. "What if they arrest us for hiding information or something, guys?"

"They won't _do _that," Jade hissed, keeping her eyes cast downwards. "They can't. They have no reason to suspect us."

"We don't know what they would or wouldn't do," Trina replied, throwing up her hands. "All I know is that we're keeping stuff from the cops, stuff that could help them with Aly's murder case!"

Almost as if on cue, the tapping of a cane sounded, indicating that Sherry had entered the premises. She seemed to be lost as she walked in, almost as if she had nowhere to sit. Surprisingly, the ever-popular Trina decided to do something nice for once – probably because she knew how the girl felt. She called "Hey, Sherry, over here!" All the other girls stared at Trina, their gazes varying from angry to confused.

"The heck are you _doing_?" Jade hissed.

"I am doing the right thing," Trina whispered back furiously as Sherry took a seat at the end of the table beside Trina. All the girls gave her awkward grins, and when they realized that she couldn't actually see them, they muttered various greetings.

After about five minutes of awkwardness, Sherry commented, "Your group isn't particularly talkative today. Why? Cat got your tongue? Or Sherry, I suppose."

"Yeah, whatever," Jade responded, stabbing her salad with her fork and glaring daggers at her salad. "Look, I gotta go to… anywhere but here." Quickly, she took her tray and left.

Sherry snorted. "Well, good riddance." She then tilted her head back. "It's odd not having Alyssa at your table. Or with you at all." There was a smirk on her face that implied she wasn't really sorry about this at all, though.

"Yeah…" Tori trailed off awkwardly, exchanging glances with Cat and Trina. All three of them, of course, were remembering the night that changed everyone, especially Sherry.

.

"_I swear that someone was spying on us," Alyssa Vaughn insisted for the hundredth time. "And I'm one hundred percent sure that person was Andre Harris."_

"_Well, he's a little creepy," Tori reluctantly agreed, "but I'm sure even he wouldn't stoop that low."_

"_He's done it before and I saw him," Alyssa protested. "Look, are you guys with me here or against me?"_

_All of them shared a reluctant glance before they all said in unison, "We're with you."_

"_Then you have to believe me when I say that little _creep_ was spying on us," Alyssa said darkly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Look, let's go set off a stink bomb in his garage. Revenge is sweet, girls, and this is one chance we have to take."_

"_I don't think this is a good idea, Aly," Jade protested, shooting the girl a dark glare. "Sure, he was spying on us, but we don't even know for sure that it was him."_

"_I agree with Jade," Cat said bravely. "It seems a little mean…"_

_Both Tori and Trina nodded, showing their reluctance to do what Alyssa had suggested. Alyssa looked beyond angry. She stared at the girls. "Are you going to let people walk all over you forever? Are you going to allow guys to spy on you? Are you going to be treated like _dirt_? Girls, when someone does something like this, the only appropriate thing to do is to exact revenge. So get your butts up and let's go set off a stink bomb in Andre's garage."_

_Hesitantly, the girls followed Alyssa to the garage that the Harris family owned. Once they got there, Alyssa smirked. "Pass me the lighter, Tori."_

_Tori did so, although she was completely and utterly terrified. With a smile illuminating her face, Alyssa lit the stink bomb and tossed it into the garage. It was only then that they realized that someone was in the garage, and that someone was not Andre Harris._

_Afterward, Sherry was left with lifelong blindness and Alyssa ensured that Andre took the blame for the 'accident'. No one knew exactly how she got him to take the blame; all of the girls agreed that she probably had something against him. If there was one thing that everyone knew about Alyssa Vaughn, it was that Alyssa had dirt on everyone in town, most notably her friends._

.

"You gonna get that?" Sherry asked, motioning to Tori's phone. With a slight nod, Tori picked it up and glanced it over to see that it read **If only she could see how guilty you look… -A. **

With a sigh, she put it back down.

.

A few minutes after the bell rang, Mallory sauntered into the English class that Mr. Oliver taught. "Am I late?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "I know you don't want to get me in trouble, Mr. Olive." The whole class laughed at her mispronunciation, and Beck rolled his eyes.

"Have a seat, Mallory," he told her sharply, before turning back to the board. "I'm hoping that you've all been reading your book that I assigned you, because today you're going to have an in-class writing assignment. Groan all you want," he added with a smirk. "Now, every book has an _illuminating incident_. Pick one of the books we've read and write an essay telling what you think the –"

He was interrupted by the door opening. Jade West slipped in, head held high and glare directed at anyone who looked her way. She walked over to his desk and, with a frown, held out a slip of paper that said 'Transfer Request Denied'. She kept her eyes down as he stared at her, then met his gaze for a half-second, smiled slightly, and walked over to her seat.

"Anyway," Beck continued, trying to get his thoughts back together, "about that illuminating incident…"

.

"Look, Seth," Trina said with an annoyed sigh. "I'm starting to think you don't like me as anything more than a friend."

"I like you as more than a friend," Seth said, leaning over to kiss her gently on the lips. "That's why I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm not going to get hurt," Trina protested, an angry look on her face. "I'm a strong, independent woman, stupid. I know what I'm doing."

"Trina, can we please just study?" Seth asked, pushing his book toward her.

The door opened with a clang then, interrupting their argument. Mrs. Vega walked in the door. With a smile, she greeted Seth. "Hello, Seth. Nice to see you here. Tell your father we're sorry we haven't been to the church in a while, okay?"

"Hi, Mrs. Vega, it's nice to see you too," Seth replied. "And I will too."

Then the door swung open again, and this time, on the other side, stood Gary. With wide eyes, Trina stared at the door. Gary stared at her with a gruff smile, then walked all the way in. "I, um, I brought takeout."

"Can you please leave?" Trina hissed at Seth. Quickly, Seth gathered his stuff and escaped out the door, leaving Trina with the two adults. She glanced from Gary to her mother. "What the _heck_ is he doing here?"

"We're just friends," Trina's mother insisted, but it was too late; Trina had already escaped.

.

"No daughter of mine takes classes for fun," Mr. Vega chided, staring at his youngest daughter. "Tori, I thought we raised you better than that."

"It's just one class," Tori insisted. "And I promise I'll do amazing in all of my other classes – "

"It's not happening, Tori," Mr. Vega informed her, slamming his glass on the table. "By the time Tia was your age, she was taking college courses along with as many high school ones as she could."

"This is about me, not Tia!" Tori cried. "Besides, what about Trina? She isn't taking any extra courses or anything like that."

Mr. Vega leveled her with a glare. "Trina is an exception, Tori. This is about you."

"I thought it was about Tia," Tori retorted, jumping up from the table. She then stormed off to the bathroom, but stopped when her eyes fell upon Jade West. With a smile, she walked over to Jade's table. "Jade! I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"That's because I was dragged here," Jade mumbled under her breath. "I'm guessing you're here with your annoying family?"

"Yeah," Tori said with a small frown. "Trina, the lucky dog, got to stay at home and miss this amazingly entertaining dinner. But anyway, how about you? Who are you here with?"

Avoiding her gaze, Jade muttered, "Nobody. I mean, it doesn't matter anyway. Just…"

Thankfully for Jade, someone walked into the restaurant at that point, and that someone happened to be Tia Vega, accompanied by the infamous Ryan. With a sigh, Tori shook her head. "Guess I have to get back to my family. Have fun, West."

"Ciao, Vega," Jade called as Tori walked back to rejoin her family.

"Can I take your drink order?" the waiter asked as Tori approached the table.

"Can I have vodka soda?" Tori inquired, raising her eyebrow. Of course, Tia quickly jumped in with a "NO", so Tori rolled her eyes and amended her statement with "I meant coke."

Ryan leaned over, close to Tori's ear, and whispered, "I'm having vodka soda. You can have a sip of mine." He then pulled back with a smile and jumped back into the conversation like nothing had happened.

Tori, on the other hand, felt like her stomach was in knots.

.

It was late at night when Daniel crept into Cat's room. He smiled at her before whispering, "Cat, I kinda can't sleep, and I know that I sound like a five year old but…"

Cat grinned back at him through the darkness. "You can sleep in my bed," she offered, patting the place beside her. "It's really soft, I promise."

"Thanks, Cat," Daniel murmured, slipping into the bed beside her and switching the lights back off. Almost unconsciously, Cat snuggled into him and closed her eyes, ready for a good, long night of sleep. Before she could fall asleep, though, her phone buzzed. With a groan, she leaned over and read the text that lit up the screen: "**Did you get a goodnight kiss? Here's one from Jase. –A**"

With a small gasp, Cat turned her phone off and drifted off into a fitful sleep. All night long she was plagued with nightmares, mostly of an ambiguous A, revealing all of her secrets to the world.

.

"So you had a sleepover with Mr. Hotshot Stepbrother last night?" Evan teased, grinning back at Daniel as if to tease him. "Wow, Cat."

"We didn't have a sleepover," Cat complained, obviously lying through her teeth. "He slept in his bed and I slept in mine; it's as simple as that." She beamed over at Evan, hoping that he wouldn't be able to tell that she was lying. After all, some things were better when they were left unsaid.

"I was just kidding, babe," Evan said, rubbing Cat's arm gently, but she glared at him.

After Daniel got out of the car, Cat decided to prove herself by launching herself forward and attaching her lips to his. It was very bold and unlike Cat, but she had to prove to herself more than anyone else that she was interested in Evan and no one else. After a moment she pulled away to find that there were jocks surrounding the car, cheering the two of them on. With a frown on her face, she pushed open the door.

"Leave her alone," came a voice from the crowd, and Trina came forward, pushing the guys out of her way. "You guys are all idiots." She grabbed Cat's arm, hooking it with her own, and pulled her through the crowd.

"I don't know what's going on, Cat," Trina said, "but whatever it was you were doing back there was very unlike the Cat that _I _know, and I'm not so sure I want her to make an appearance again."

"I know," Cat said, fighting back tears. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to me," Trina reassured her. "Let's just… go to class, okay? Stay safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do." With a wink, Trina skittered down the hallway.

Despite her sadness, Cat found herself smiling.

.

"Jade!" A voice broke through the crowd at the movie theater, snapping the girl out of her reverie. "Jade." Suddenly Beck was there, waving at her in a friendly sort of way and smiling at her. "Hey, didn't expect to see you here."

The decision to go see _The Scissoring_ had been a last minute sort of thing. It was her favorite movie of all time, of course, but she'd already seen it like fifty million times. However, it had become evident that she had nothing else to do, and when her mom offered to pay, it was an offer she couldn't turn down. She had to admit that she hadn't really expected to see Beck Oliver there, though, clad in a pair of dark jeans and a plaid shirt and looking hotter than she had ever imagined.

Her mother, of course, picked that moment to walk up. "Jade, they only had the medium – oh, hi there! Who are you?"

"I'm Jade's English teacher, Mr. Oliver, or of course you can call me Beck," Beck told her, extending a hand. "You must be Jade's mother."

"That I am. You can call me Elizabeth," Elizabeth West told him. "What movie are you here to see?"

"_The Scissoring_," Beck replied with a grin. "It's one of my favorite movies, so I figured I'd come see it in the theater."

"It's Jade's favorite as well," Elizabeth exclaimed, and Jade made a gagging motion behind Elizabeth's back. Beck tried to stifle his laugh. "I figured she'd love to see it in the theater anyway. You know, Jade's told me a lot about you. Just not the very young and cute part."

Jade buried her head in her hand, and Beck smiled politely. "Jade's an amazing student. She does very well in my class, when she's paying attention at least."

The glare she gave him clearly translated to '_shut up or I'll never hear the end of it'_, but Beck just smiled innocently back at her.

"Oh, that's nice to know," Jade's mom said brightly. "Say, Beck, why don't you join us?"

Jade stifled a gag. Beck looked taken aback for a moment, but he quickly said, "Um, sure, why not?"

Of course, he ended up on the end beside Jade, which was practically the most awkward thing ever, especially since Jade could feel his shoulder against hers and his fingers brushing against hers and she wanted to die. Soon enough the two settled on keeping their fingers entwined under the armrest, where Jade's mom couldn't see. At the scary parts, Beck would squeeze her hand lightly, and she would smirk over at him, as if to ask if he was scared.

He'd just shake his head and smile at her, then glance over to ensure that Elizabeth West wasn't watching them.

And Jade kinda hated the fact that their relationship had to be like this.

.

"Hey, Tori."

Tori glanced up to see Ryan standing in her doorway. She gave him a half wave before turning her head back to her book, wondering absently what he could be wanted. He seemed to take that as permission, though, because he moved further into her room. "You look stressed. Want me to give you a massage?"

"No thanks, I've got a big test tomorrow," Tori informed him, pointing back down at her book. "History of Theater and all that. One of the most prestigious classes at Hollywood Arts. I can't fail."

"Okay, I was wrong. You're definitely stressed," Ryan amended, leaning back against the closet. "Look, i had a lot of pressure on my shoulders when I was your age too. I had an older brother who was the captain of the football team, made straight As in all of his classes, and had the most gorgeous girlfriend in school."

"Hm?" Tori asked, glancing up to look at him. "And how did you deal with it?"

"I didn't," Ryan said with a chuckle. "I started acting out because I thought it'd get my parents' attention. Turns out it didn't."

Tori stood up, walking over to stand near him. "Yeah, I definitely get it. Sometimes I feel like Tia is their perfect little angel, like she can do no wrong, and I'm like the Prodigal Son in female form." She gave a small, bitter laugh. "Guess life is funny like that sometimes."

"It shouldn't be to a pretty girl like you," Ryan whispered, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Tori knew where this was going, really she did, but she supposed it was mostly her fault. As he leaned in to kiss her, she did nothing but lean in a little further so he didn't have to go as far.

It shouldn't have been surprising when Tori woke up the next morning to find Ryan moving things out of the barn he shared with Tia.

.

"I love the new shirt you bought today, Trina," Mallory reassured her as the two girls walked out of the mall, flanked with loads of shopping bags. "It makes you look so sophisticated, ma cherie."

"I always look sophisticated." Trina giggled.

With a laugh, Mallory hit her with her shopping bag. "You're so conceited, Trina." Her tone suddenly dropped and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, Trina. Isn't that the creepy guy that stopped you before? Is he like, stalking you or something?"

"Yeah, it is," Trina replied, peering curiously into the distance. "That's so creepy!"

"He hasn't got anything on you," Mallory reminded her. "I mean, it's not like you've stolen anything…"

"I'm going to talk to him," Trina informed her friend, pushing all of her bags into Mallory's arms. Quickly, she strode up to the man and hissed, "Look, I told you already that I'll pay for the jeans. I'm not stealing anything else, so you can stop following me."

This seemed to amuse Gary. "I'm not following you because I think you're hiding something. I'm following you because I have reason to believe that you may be hiding something about the murder of Alyssa Vaughn."

Trina closed her mouth.

.

It was raining cats and dogs, or at least that was what Jade West thought as she walked home from her favorite coffee shop. Her makeup was kind of dripping down her face, and she'd taken to draping her black leather coat over her head so that she didn't get completely soaked. And sure, maybe it'd be ruined, but it was better than her catching pneumonia and dying.

All of a sudden a car slowly drove up behind her. The driver turned around to look at her, and after a moment, she realized that it was Beck. He drove by her slowly, but then stopped and opened the door, obviously an offer for a ride. Gratefully, she ran up and slid into the car beside him.

She turned to look at him with wide eyes, and he did the same to her. "Yo" was all Jade said before he leaned over and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her passionately. And what could she do but return the kiss just as passionately?

.

Cat glanced down at the bracelet on her wrist, at the letters spelling out C-A-T. She tapped it with a smile, singing softly to herself as she remembered the day it had been given to her by Alyssa. Alyssa had made sure to smile at her, as if they shared a secret, and whisper, "Don't tell."

"Of course not," Cat replied. "Don't tell mine."

"These keep us together," Alyssa had told her. And Cat had believed her.

.

Jade was almost smiling by the time she got home, which was odd because she hardly ever smiled. Of course, her father had planted himself in the living room, and glanced up at her as she entered. "Jade," he said quickly. "I need to talk to you."

"Talk, then," Jade said darkly. Normally she would've ignored him, but she was in a particularly good mood.

"Your mother…" He sighed, trailing off, and then began again. "Your mom seems to suspect something is up, and I need you to stay quiet about the whole thing, okay? I really don't want to upset her. And the woman I… the woman, she teaches at my school and it's hard but I'm doing my best, okay? I promise."

"You think that's hard?" Jade hissed bitterly. "Try keeping something from your mother and knowing that if you tell her about it, her whole _life _will be ruined, and then tell me that's _hard_. Oh, by the way, I'll keep it a secret. Not for you, though. For mom."

And of course the door flew open then. Jade's mother and Jeremiah walked in, bags of food in their hands. Shaking her head, Jade slipped up the stairs and glancing back down to see how 'happy' they all looked, like they had not a care in the world.

It was then that her phone buzzed, indicating a text. She read it quickly.

**When students kiss teachers, someone gets HURT. That's a promise I'll keep… -A**

.

"I'm going to the gym," Tori called. When she got no response, she walked out of the house, shoving her earbuds in her ears.

The walk was long and particularly boring; that was, until she spotted someone on a park bench. She blinked twice, trying to see who it was. The person turned their head to look at her and then smirked.

This wouldn't have been weird if the person hadn't been Sherry Harris.

.

**A/N: so hi, it's been a year but I just got inspiration for this. You can thank the PLL finale and Alyssa and Jessica though xox**

**Also um, this may look like it's sticking REALLY close to the PLL plot but trust me. The A is NOT the same as the A in the show, aka it's not Toby, sorry guys. You can start with theories, though, so be sure to review and tell me who you think A is!**

**i obviously don't own PLL or victorious. i thought that much was obvious, dear anon.**


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